The majority of traffic detection technology and sensor research has focused on the detection of "motorised" traffic. This has left a need for objective information on the performance of "non-motorised' traffic detectors. Bicycles and pedestrians are the two most common types of non-motorised traffic. In recent years, sensors have been developed to detect the presence of pedestrians and the speed and presence of bicycles. This has been accomplished with a variety of technologies, including microwave, infrared, video and inductive loops. With the development of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) applications, automated pedestrian detectors are beginning to compliment the existing push-button detectors. These applications optimise intersection operations and improve safety by reducing the conflicts between vehicles and pedestrians. Similarly, bicycle detectors are being used to provide detection inputs to traffic signals for call and extend functions. These technologies are also a valuable tool in gathering historic data. This report documents the current state of pedestrian and bicycle detection and presents evaluation results from a field test conducted of six different bicycle/pedestrian sensors. (Author/publisher)
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